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A review by khornstein1
Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir by Kwame Onwuachi
4.0
Take what I say with a grain of salt (ha-ha)...after a slow start and weird introduction, I was ultimately entertained by this book and rooting for Onwuachi. I am not someone who "appreciates fine dining." I like good food, that's pretty much it and setting and presentation are lost on me. I'm not a Top Chef fan. My late dad was a fine dining snob and I'd accompany him to restaurants....ugh, the long "tastings," the wine pairings, the hours of just. sitting. there. I need to get up and move...but I digress.
This book was written "with" Joshua David Stein...and I feel that's where some of my complaints lie. So many typos. So much...lack of editing? This is a compelling story and Onwuachi's personality shines through, but extra words (like the wrong words?) in sentences bother me. Things just sounded a bit choppy...proofreading please!
And then the introduction. He's 26 years old! And he's not "humble" at all per the book jacket! I had hard time rooting for his big restaurant opening. But his life story grabbed me: the candy selling on the subway thing was fascinating. I loved hearing about his back of the house experiences and especially cooking on the oil rig.
Occasionally he'd say, "I guess I'm arrogant!" That's what made it bearable...he gets himself. And there is a super-revelatory sentence on page 130..."how eating in these (fine dining, award-winning) restaurants made me feel: like I was taken care of, like there was a guy in the back very concerned that I was having a wonderful time." I find this intriguing. I just want to eat and leave!
The recipes sound great. His expose of racism in the fine-dining world was troubling. Reading this in the midst of the pandemic made me think, "maybe I'll give fine dining a go if I ever go to restaurants again." Read for Book Club. Foodies will like it.
This book was written "with" Joshua David Stein...and I feel that's where some of my complaints lie. So many typos. So much...lack of editing? This is a compelling story and Onwuachi's personality shines through, but extra words (like the wrong words?) in sentences bother me. Things just sounded a bit choppy...proofreading please!
And then the introduction. He's 26 years old! And he's not "humble" at all per the book jacket! I had hard time rooting for his big restaurant opening. But his life story grabbed me: the candy selling on the subway thing was fascinating. I loved hearing about his back of the house experiences and especially cooking on the oil rig.
Occasionally he'd say, "I guess I'm arrogant!" That's what made it bearable...he gets himself. And there is a super-revelatory sentence on page 130..."how eating in these (fine dining, award-winning) restaurants made me feel: like I was taken care of, like there was a guy in the back very concerned that I was having a wonderful time." I find this intriguing. I just want to eat and leave!
The recipes sound great. His expose of racism in the fine-dining world was troubling. Reading this in the midst of the pandemic made me think, "maybe I'll give fine dining a go if I ever go to restaurants again." Read for Book Club. Foodies will like it.